At the library

This weekend the Provo library had a Children's Book Festival. There were puppet shows, a dozen authors to meet, illustrators to admire, games to play, and food and books to buy. It was a neat little extravaganza.


Our first celebrity run in was Clifford. Aeryn was so happy to see him there but a little friend who was with us was a bit more hesitant. Later he informed me that he could see the guys eyes inside the mask so it wasn't the real Clifford anyway... Aeryn didn't mind one way or another.

At one table, the kids got to make their own buttons. They had stickers and crayons to make their creations.

Illustrator Nathan Hale was on site doing quick sketches (for free) which I confess was my favorite part of the day. The line wasn't very long, but at 5 minutes per person it took quite a while to get through! Aeryn was amazing and sat perfectly still, following his directions to a tee!

And here's the final image! I love it. I love that the pencil lines where he marked the shape of her face are visible. I love the shading of the white and black pencils. I love the stillness and peacefulness it captures. I'm going to frame it, hang it up, and probably keep it for-ev-er.

After some coloring, counting-for-candy, and general meandering, face painting was our last stop. Normally she doesn't really like this. It is common for her to say that she wants her face painted just to change her mind last minute. This time though the little bug marched straight up there and knew exactly what she wanted. It turned out fun, don't you think?

Quite a fun day! There was a time when I never paid much attention to community events. Looking back I wonder how much I missed, there are so many amazing things happening.